A novel oxovanadium(V) complex of 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanolate with high catalytic activities for polymerisation and epoxidation

A dichloro oxovanadium(V) alkoxide complex [VOCl2(OCH2CH2OCH2CH2OnBu)] was synthesised by reaction of VOCl3 and 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol in pentane. It was characterised by IR, 1H, 13C and 51V NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals a monomeric complex with all oxygen atoms of the ligand attached to the overall octahedrally coordinated vanadium atom. This complex exhibits remarkably higher activity than VOCl3 towards ethene polymerisation with diethyl aluminium chloride as co-catalyst and methyl trichloroacetate as promoter. The complex also catalyses the epoxidation of cyclooctene to cyclooctene oxide with tert-butyl hydroperoxide.